BloodSong
by FenrirShadeslayer
Summary: Nathan Matthew Hawke and Jessica Marie Taylor are turned into vampires after their tragic deaths. They begin using their new gifts to perform in nightclubs and soon they have state-wide fame. The Volturri will send out their men to dispose of the two as punishment for standing in the spotlight. OC x OC. MATURE CONTENT WARNING. Language/Alcohol/Drugs/Gore/Sex/etc.
1. Chapter 1: Drowning in Fire

**Ladies and Gentlemen, I am proud to unveil my newest work of literature! This will be a much more mature story than my previous one, so please, do not attack me if you are offended by anything. Given the success (in my opinion) of my previous story, I am hopeful that this one will recieve a warm welcome as well. I look forward to your reviews, please let me know of any suggestions or opinions you have. If you ask a serious question in your review, I will almost certainly get back to you with an answer. I am hoping to have chapters done and posted fairly frequently, but please understand that I am in college, so sometimes things pile up. For the first chapter, I want to give a shout out to Booklover1598, for writing her wondeful story "Elizabeth Guinavere Swan", and also TheHunter9, for her spectacular "The Pet". I will shut up now and let you read, I just had to give a nice opening XP Enjoy!**

Chapter 1:

Drowning in Fire/Burning in Water

_I'm disconnected_  
_I'm uninspired_  
_I'm burning in water_  
_I'm drowning in fire_

***Nathan's POV***

I walk nervously to the backyard of the house. The sound of music and laughter ring through the night, and lights flash across the scene. I'm not one for parties, but it's my last year of high-school, so what the hell? I can put up with a crowd of preppy bitches and self-centered man-whores for a few hours right?

I weave my way through the party, looking for anyone I know. Well, I knew most of these asswipes, I just didn't like most of them.

Finally I spot some friends of mine over on the edge of the yard. They were like me, they kept to themselves.

"Nathan, dude, youre finally here!"

It's Thomas, a kind of nerdy guy from one of my algebra classes a few semesters ago. For some reason, we had gotten along, and had stayed in touch even after the class was finished.

"Yeah, I couldn't let you fuckers get all the bitches tonight now could I?" I reply.

"Damn right, man, Zach already left with Sarah, they've been in the storage shed over there for a good half hour already."

I laugh. Zach Seymore had been the first out of their little group to get laid, and he hadnt really stopped since.

"So, Zach already got him some, what are you guys up to?"

"Nothing at all, Nate, Nothing at all," rings a high, squeeky voice.

It's Miguel, the guy that had helped me make a passing grade in Spanish I and II. He's taking breaths from one of the helium balloons scattered around the place as decoration.

We all break out laughing as he begins a rendition of one of the Alvin and the Chipmunks songs.

Thomas grabs the balloon from him and takes a big breath himself.

"Luke, I am your father."

The line loses every bit of its epicness coming from Thomas's high voice.

"Oh my God, Nate, you gotta try this," he sighs through his laughter.

I take the balloon from him and inhale deeply.

"English, motherfucker, do you speak it?" I quote the badass Samuel L. Jackson line, causing everyone to double over with renewed amusement.

Once I have control again, I take another breath of the gas and prepare for my next line.

HOLY MOTHER OF FUCK.

There's a blinding burst of fire in my face and then I'm choking, unable to breathe. I cough, flames sputtering from my throat. In front of me is Drake, one of my old bullies from the earlier years of high schools, holding a lighter and staring with a look of horror in his eye.

Dumb fuck tried to pop a balloon with a lighter?!

Soon the initial shock fades and Thomas, Miguel, and Drake sprint off, yelling franticly for help.

I desperately claw at my neck, the flames killing me from the inside out as my lungs burned.

The rest of the people at the party notice me, coughing flames out into the grass, and screams ring out through the night air.

I was on the ground now, clutching my chest. My vision begins to blur and fade. Someone lifts me. Either I had already lost it, or I was being carried at a ridiculously fast pace. The ground blurs past and the chaos of the partygoers dies down to a distant shriek. I'm dropped on the cold grass and something sharp pierces my neck.

I hope to high hell that it's a needle from a paramedic or something.

Had it been long enough for an ambulance to arrive?

A different form of fire floods my veins. The figure standing over me fades as my vision flickers to black. I could feel myself slipping away, but I didn't care anymore. Anything was better than this. I welcomed the sweet release from the tormenting flames, both in my lungs and veins.

Light.

Light floods in as my eyes slowly ease open.

Something was different. Better. Had it all just been some sort of horrible nightmare?

I sit up and examine my surroundings. I'm in a forest, with no idea how I got here. I slowly reach up to my throat. It burns, but this is different. It's no longer heat, but… thirst. Unbelievable thirst.

I stand up. There is a town in the distance. My town?

I wasn't sure.

I run toward it, then stop within seconds. I was already here. I look back at the field I had apparently just run across almost instantly.

"Young man, are you lost?" I turn around to find a middle-aged woman and-

Dear God, what was that glorious smell?

I lean into it as the scent pulls me in. A cry of pain sounds somewhere far, far away as the scent turns into a taste, like butter and spice, easing the burning in my throat. I embrace the buzz of delight, following more and more scents and tastes, a continuous onslought of sweet nectar rushing down my throat.

Was it seconds? Hours? Days?

I'm disoriented when the rush of relief finally fades away.

As my senses clear, I can smell the stench of death. Red fills my vision.

I panic as I become aware that I was standing in the middle of a park, the grass around me bathed in crimson, mangled bodies of every age and gender lying around me.

No…

No, I couldn't have…

I run. I didn't care where, I simply sprint in any direction, the world blurring past me.

What had I become?

***Two weeks later, Jessica Taylor's POV***

I adjust my sapphire dress for the who-knows-how-many-nth time tonight. It's both a gift and a curse to have the perfect set.

Mostly a gift.

I idly wander around the darkened gym that's been done up as if it was somewhere anyone would _want _to have a party.

Ugh, it's a shittily-done job.

I go to get a flimsy plastic red cup full of room-temperature punch, which we all know is Kool-Aid from a packet.

Warm, toned arms wrap around me from behind.

"I made it special for you babe."

"John, what the fuck did you do?"

John is my caveman of a boyfriend. He's dropdead hot, and always wears T-shirts that _have _to be at least two sizes too small for him. His ripped torso was his pride and joy, and he displayed it as such, the outlines of his abs clearly visible through the thinly stretched fabric.

"Nothing darlin', just had some friends bring some _real _drinks to mix in."

I rub the bruises on my shoulder from the last time John had _real _drinks.

I am not going to stick around if he _and _his friends are gonna be a bunch of drunken fools.

"Sounds… fun. Unfortuantely I have to leave in a bit," I lie through my teeth.

"Oh, come on baby, you have to stick around for the afterparty," he pleads almost innocently, a small hint of a smile tugging at the edge of his lips.

"Afterparty?" I ask. There was never any afterparty mentioned in the schedule.

"Yeah, my buddies and I wanted you to join us out by the lake."

There was a gleam in his eye as he spoke that made me uneasy.

"Who else is going?"

"No one really, it's just a small thing for the five of us. You, me, Philip, Will, and James."

"Sorry, I have things to do in the morning and it's already late," I continue to lie, starting to walk past him to the exit.

He is seriously giving me the creeps now.

He smiles as I brush past him, his eyes remaining fixed on me. I look back as I near the exit. He is still standing there, his eyes pinned to my… my ass.

Fucking pervert.

The school doors slam shut behind me as I walk out, my uncomfortable heels clicking against the sidewalk as I walk towards home.

Quickly.

I contiue taking paranoid glances around the dark, street lamps casting their ominous, isolated patches of light across the concrete path in front of me.

Bright light shines from behind me. A rusty, pale blue van growls as it drives up the road before coming to a stop beside me.

"Come on baby, we are going to that afterparty now," John shouts at me through the side door as it slides open.

"I already told you I'm not going, John," I reply, aggrevated by his persistence.

Why cant men take a fucking hint?

"It wasn't an invitation."

I try to scream as he hops out off the van and grabs me, but his hand clasps over my mouth, muffling my protests. The door slides shut behind us as he tosses me in the shitty van and we speed off.

"What the fuck are you doing John?!"

"We are going to have ourselves a party, you know that," the driver, Philip, replies for him.

"The hell we are! Let me out you son of a bitch!"

John backhands me across the face.

"Shut up! You might actually enjoy it if you relax a little."

My breathing becomes erratic as I clutch my already-bruising cheek, panic setting in.

I keep silent, except for my fearful sobs, until we skid to a stop after about ten minutes. The door slides open and I'm dragged out of the vehicle. The sound of crickets chirping and frogs croaking is all around us. It's pitch black, save for the ghostly glow of the van's headlights. Pine needles crunch under my feet as I'm shoved toward a small motorboat that lay in the foul-smelling mud at the edge of the murky water.

The four boys get the boat further into the water before climbing in, shoving me in with them, before they work the motor to life after a few tries.

I don't know what to say, what to do. Fuck, this can't be happening!

My thoughts go blank as I hear the worst sound that could possibly be made at that moment.

A zipper being undone.

My stomach tightens into a knot and fresh tears swell in my eyes.

"Please, don't-"

My words are cut short as I clamp my mouth tightly shut, smooth, rigid flesh attempting to force its way into my mouth. The boat rocks as someone kicks me, and I cry out in pain.

The other boy doesn't waste the moment. His warm, hard, member slips into my mouth and across my tongue, scraping against the back of my throat. I gag hard, my eyes watering.

I do the only thing I can think of and clamp my teeth down hard on the vile object.

The owner of it cries out in rage and the boat is tossed about violently as he brings his hand across my face.

"You bitch!"

I cant manage a response to his insult, sobs racking my body.

I yelp as my dress is ripped across the front, exposing my the left side of my bra-concealed breast.

Someone else joins in and I wriggle around as they try to reach up the bottom of my dress. My heel makes contact with someone's stomach as I thrash around desperately, one of their hands gripping my panties. A long, slender middle finger enters me and I scream.

God, no, please, someone has to hear me, someone will come help me.

I elbow one of them as I knee another. I'm flailing my limbs, trying to put up a fight until someone hears my desperate screams.

The boat rocks dangerously in the water as I resist their intrusion.

One of the boys staggers as my foot connects with his knee, and the boat tips over. People thrash about in the water, but I can barely hear them as my heartbeat fills my ears. The red-stained motor blade is turned off and the rapists yell at eachother in panic. Their arguments die down as I drift down into the water, the lake turned dark red around me as my neck spreads blood around me. Water seeps in through the gash in my throat and fills my lungs.

But I can't fight it anymore. I don't panic as my lungs fill with liquid.

I don't try to scream as my body grows cold from the blood escaping me.

I don't attmept to swim back to the surface as the lake begins to drag me to its dark depths.

I am serene. The peace of death is welcome after my struggle. No more will they try to have their way with me. I am lost to them forever.

My eyes remain open but still my vision begins to fade. My torn blue dress drifts lazily around me.

Something enters the water though. Not the disorganized paddling of her attackers, soemthing more focused.

Somewhere in the back of my darkening mind, a light flares into existence and wills me to hold on just a bit longer.

Something cold grabs me and my limp body is hauled to the surface. My back comes into contact with the freezing cold mud as the shadowy savior lays me down on the lakeside.

My eyelids flutter. The last burst of will begins to fade from me and I grow numb again.

Something pierces my neck. Soft lips cling to the incision, lingering. The figure tenses as the seconds tick by. I feel myself growing weaker still, the blood in my body rushing towards my neck.

My rescuer jumps back, rather violently.

Then I'm on fire.

Or my veins are at least. I blur in and out of awareness. It lasts for what seems an eternity. Time looses all meaning as I lose myself in the pain.

And then its over.

It just stops.

I slowly realize that my eyes are closed, and begin to pry them open. It's dark, though the dawn seems fast approaching. I hesitantly swallow only to find that my throat no longer has a gaping gash in it. I look around the rest of me. The bruises I had collected while being with… him… were gone. I still had more torn dress on (barely) but I was covered in a soft blanket. Peaking under the blanket, I realized my left breast was fully exposed, my bra ripped in half. I also became aware that I was no longer wearing any panties after the attack.

Gathering the blanket around myself, I stood up and looked around.

A breeze blew past me and then there was a guy standing in front of me.

"Finally you're awake. You were beginning to scare me. Does it always take two weeks?"

His voice was melodious yet had a strange gravelly undertone, as if it was two different people speaking at the same time.

He was pale, with black hair that fell to his chin, swooped to one side in a Beiber-esque fashion. He wore a grey hoodie that looked like it had seen better days, unzipped and left open to expose his uncovered chest, and baggy denim jeans, the fabric around both knees ripped open and frayed.

No shirt under the hoodie by the way.

Did I mention that?

But the main thing, that I glimpsed in flashes as he spoke, were his pearly white-

"Fangs…"

I didn't mean to say it out loud, but it slipped out in my shock.

Then I was silent again, this time stunned by my own voice.

It was like a song played on a violin, or a cat's affectionate purr.

To put it bluntly, I sounded like the fucking goddess of sexy herself.

"W-Who are you?"

I stammer a bit, but it took very little away from my orgasmic voice.

The guy in front of me seems to become distracted at the sound, but shakes it off in a few seconds.

He clears his throat.

"Uh, I, um, you know what? Just use what you just said, call me Fang for now," he replies, staring at me.

"Who are you?" he asks in return after a few seconds.

Oh no, if this guy wants to hide behind an alias, I will too.

I think for a moment. I think about my voice and look back at the water I was pulled from.

"Siren," I reply. It seemed fitting.

He gives a smirk that melts right through me.

The first rays of dawn peer over the treeline. I gasp when he begins to shimmer as the sunlight falls on him. I reach out and place my hand on his chest as it reflects the light. I can't help myself. It's only then that I see my hand reflecting the same as his chest. I drop the blanket from around me, smiling in wonder as the sunlight casts the same dazzling reflections across every patch of my exposed skin.

"Wha-What is this?" I ask, looking up into his piercing red eyes.


	2. Chapter 2: Remember Everything

**Another chapter ready! I am enjoying writing this very much, it is nice change of setting from my last story. Thank you to the ten or so people who have read so far, though I wish you would leave a review so I know how I am doing so far.**

**Anyways, Please review and enjoy! Hope to start seeing more interest in this story soon...**

_Dear mother, I love you. I'm sorry I wasn't good enough._

_Dear father, forgive me. Cause in your eyes, I just never added up._

_In my heart I know I failed you, but you left me here alone_

Chapter 2:

Remember Everything

***Nathan's POV***

I proceed to explain as much as I can to the girl, even though I myself know very little. She jumps a little at the thought of feeding from a living human, but evidently her thirst burns in her throat and she knows she can't fight it.

Once we are finished going over my small amount of knowledge, I pick the blanket up off the ground and shake the pine needles from it before wrapping it around her.

"You were… indecent… when I found you. I found that for you to cover up."

She glances away and tightens the blanket around herself.

"Thank you,"she replies with that angelic voice of hers.

We stand there in awkward silence for a moment.

"You wanna try out the perks of this?"

She eyes me skeptically. I dart behind her in a matter of seconds. A smile spreads across her face as she whirls around to find me. With a confident smirk, she crouches slightly then disappears, skidding to a stop across pine needles off to my side.

I smile back at her. She is so amused by her new speed.

"You're able to run, so what? Let's see how you hunt," I say, suddenly catching a whiff of human on the breeze coming from my right side.

Her smile fades and her deep black eyes fall to the forest floor hesitantly.

"You'll thank me afterwards," I urge her, taking a step towards the direction of the sweet-smelling wind.

"Besides," I add, "you need some new clothes."

She tightens the blanket around herself and nods.

"Race you there?"

She smiles and darts off. I run after her and catch up to her in no time.

We sprint into an alley between buildings. Now that we are here, I begin to question whether we should hunt during the day. I take a glance into the sky, the sun breaking through shadows to fall on my stone-cold skin. It's beginning to peak over the tops of the buildings now, people will be waking up before long.

I look to the girl and see the thirst in her eyes. She must really be putting up an effort to wait patiently, but still her twitches and fidgeting give her away, her top lip trembling as she restrains herself from baring her fangs.

If only I had had that kind of control…

I shake the memory of the slaughtered people from my mind.

I sniff the air, looking for nearby blood.

There. The sweet liquid smells like a well-done steak. Other scents accompany it. Oil, rubber, sweat.I tune my ears for the heartbeat. There it is. I can already picture the target in my mind. A mechanic. Middle aged. Over worked. His inefficent heart and clotted veins tell me everything about his hard-working life.

We would be doing him a favor, releasing him from this.

Right?

I push the doubt from my mind and motion for 'Siren' to follow me as I sprint across the street. We leap silently up onto the rooftops, staying low as we speed across towards the smell, the man's heartbeat pounding in my ears. Gravelly black roofing crunches beneath us as we come to a stop, overlooking a shitty little car-wash.

After surveying the scene, I nudge Siren and we drop back down to the streets. We run quietly into the open car-wash, crouching in a shadowy corner. The mechanic is walking around the building, unlocking doors, getting ready to open for the day.

"Alright, let's-"

I don't get the chance to finish as Siren charges from my side. Shelves and tools clatter over the ground in her week as she pounces on the man, digging her fangs eagerly into his neck.

He never gave so much as a scream.

Her eyes drift close. The man's bones snap as she grips him tightly, draining him to the last drop.

His lifeless body slumps to the floor as she releases him, sucking the remaining blood from her fingers. After a few seconds, she lazily opens her eyes, which are a dull red now. She still isnt satisfied.

A minivan pulls into the car-wash, unaware of the bloody scene. Its tires smell of so many different places. They must be vacationing, probably from a few states away at least.

Metal bends and buckles as Siren rams the vehicle, smashing through the winsheild. Tiny reflective shards sprinkle around the scene.

I roll my eyes before joining her in the car. I snap the mother's neck as she tries to scream. Siren has already drained the teenage girl in the back seat. I force myself to let her drain the dad alone. I know how thirsty she must be.

We climb out the vehicle once she is done. I watch the haze of bloodlust clear from her bright crimson eyes. There are a few seconds of confusion before she cups her hand over her mouth, her eyes darting to each victim in the wreckage. Her eyes glisten wetly.

I step closer and wrap my hand in hers, trying to give some small level of comfort. She jumps at the contact and backs away, her eyes panicked. Moments later, she buries her face in my dirty, worn hoodie. I can offer little sympathy.

We both know this is only the beginning of our new lives…

We sit in the dusty warehouse, huddled together, as the day progresses. Thin streams of gold fall through the rusted metal roofing as we lounge around on the support beams, sitting side-by-side with our legs dangling down.

After tearing some machinery from the ceiling of the car-wash and placing it on the hood of the car to make it look like they were crushed by faulty construction, we had escaped here, a dirty steel warehouse in the back streets. There were a few broken down pieces of furniture and a few dozen unopened cardboard boxes left around.

We don't talk very much. Not sure what to say I guess. We just wait for the day to end.

And after countless hours, it does. Sunlight dulls to a red glow before vanishing completely, giving rise to the blue moonlight.

With a sigh, I nudge Siren's shoulder.

"We can go out and find you some clothes now if you want."

She remains expressionless, but gives a barely noticable nod. We drop down to the floor, our feet causing a quiet thump, and make our way out into the streets. We don't sprint around or anything, we just stroll down the sidewalk slowly. After a while, her hand slips into mine. Each reflective window pane of the storefronts shows the two of us, alone, dirty, clothes torn to little more than rags.

Soon we find a small thrift store with a fading 'open' sign lit up in neon lights in the window. Only one elderly lady stands behind the counter.

It'll be easy to blame it on a heart attack if we are neat.

With a solemn nod, we both dart in and drain the old woman. I go and flip the sign to closed as Siren begins perusing the inventory of off-brand clothes. I move to another section and look for anything decent for myself.

Neither of us are picky, so it doesn't take us long to grab a few outfits. I guiltily clean out the cash register as well, also checking the woman's purse. Apparently business wasn't all that great, as there is only about fifty dollars in the machine, along with a crumpled twenty dollar bill in the purse. I leave behind her credit card, knowing we won't be able to use it without drawing attention from the bank.

We leave the small shop with our loot in hand.

Siren waits outside as I dash into a visitor's center down the street, snatching up a bundle of various brochures and maps and running out again, the attendant never seeing me, but gasping at the gust of wind left in my wake.

We sit against the brick wall of a storefront, looking through the info by the light of a streetlight.

Apparently we are In Pittsboro, not too far from Jordan Lake.

Siren shudders.

"Something wrong?"

She hesitantly parts her lips.

"It's just… we are in my hometown," she says softly, "I don't know why I didn't recognize it sooner, I… Everything is blurry. My memories are fuzzy..."

I try to think back to my life. Images come back, but they are grainy, like an old movie or when you have a bad television signal. There are people that I _know _mean something to me, but I can't picture their faces, or remember their names.

"I'm having trouble… remembering too…"

Our eyes meet in despair. How can we forget things like our hometown? Or our families?

"We should go to my house, I think I know the way…"

I shake my head.

"You saw what we do to people, you saw how different we are. We cant go back."

She purses her lips and closes her eyes momentarily, coming to terms with the realization that we are alone, fighting back tears.

"Can I… can I at least get some things? Maybe shower and grab some of my clothes?"

I contemplate her request for a moment.

We could both use a shower (not at the same time obviously) and I knew that if it were _my _home we were talking about, I would want to go. At least to get some closure and say goodbye to my old life.

"Alright… but we need to wait until your family leaves the house before we go in."

She gives a half-hearted smile of appreciation and we gather our piles of stolen clothes from the pavement beside us. After a moment of thought, she sprints off and I follow close behind.

It doesn't take long for us to find her house, only a few miles from the lakeside. She freezes at the edge of the forest, gazing at her old home. It is above average size, but not extravagantly so. It has pale blue siding and a tall peaking black roof set atop its second floor. A small window just under the edge of the roof makes it look like there is also an attic.

There is a silver SUV parked in the gravel driveway. Moonlight gleams off its shiny finish with a serene glow. Light shines through a few windows of the house.

"Now, we just wait for them to leave somewhere," I sigh. I hate waiting.

We sit around in the underbrush of the forest edge, checking every so often for any change. The night passed in complete boredom.

Agonising. Boredom.

As the sun began to break through the treeline, morning fog lay lazily over the area, veiling their sight beyond maybe half a mile.

Headlights drifted through the fog and parked in front of the house. A man, the father most likely, came out and hopped in the vehicle, probably carpooling to work, and they drove off.

Another hour or two passed before there was anymore movement. The mother and two young children, two boys, came out of the house loaded with backpacks.

Going to school I guess.

As soon as the SUV pulls out, we stand up cautiously. I can't smell or hear anymore humans in the house.

We dash to the door. Locked of course.

We search around the small porch for a backup key. Eventually we find one hidden underneath a small decorative ceramic frog that is sitting in the back left corner, surrounded by spiderwebs.

The key slides in with a click and the door drifts open. An overpowering smell of cleaning supplies and air fresheners assaults my enhanced senses.

"Fucking hell, do you people enjoy being neat or what?" I hiss at her, holding my breath

Which apparently I don't need anymore.

Freaky shit, dude.

"Yeah," Siren replies, "my parents were kind of fancy-shit. Or at least they thought they were."

Her hands grace the walls as she wanders around, saying her goodbyes.

After a few minutes of staring at old portraits on the wall, she clears her throat.

"We should, uh, I should go shower and change and all…" she mumbles as she ascends the staircase, the wooden steps creaking.

"Alright, I will be, uh, I don't know, sitting here I guess," I reply awkwardly.

What else am I going to do while trespassing in someone's house?

As she leaves, I wander off into the rest of the house. I find the living room and take a seat on the large beige loveseat. My hands remain in my lap, my fingers lightly tapping my knees to the tune of whatever songs pop into my head.

Yeah, I'm not bored at all. Totally not.

The unnervingly clean room is lined with peach-y tan wallpaper. A glass coffee table sits in the center of the room, a few drink coasters scattered around its flawlessly reflective top.

A large HDTV is mounted on the wall in front of me. Beaneath it is a wood dresser covered in decorative plants (most of them plastic). It has a sleek black paintjob and ornate carvings on the corners.

After about twenty to thirty minutes, Siren comes back downstairs.

I hop up from my awkward seat on her family's loveseat and turn to her.

With the grime and torn clothes gone, the full effect of her unnatural beauty hits me.

She is wearing skinny, dark blue jeans with a studded black belt and some black Vans shoes. Gracing her torso is a Sleeping With Sirens T-shirt that she must have gotten a long time ago, as it looks small and doesn't quite reach her pants, leaving a small strip of her waist line showing. She has fresh eyeliner on and possibly a small amount of lipstick. Her wet hair is gathered up in her hand on one side as she finishes brushing out the remaining tangles.

"Um, shower is upstairs, first door on your right. Towels are under the sink. Uh, I believe my dad has some of his stuff in there if you don't want to smell like cherries," she rattles off instructions.

"Uh, thank you, I, um, yeah, I will go do that…" I reply with a slight stutter, "but I don't think its fair that you get access to your whole wardobe. You have me at a disadvantage here."

She flashes a quick smile.

"Sorry, call me a girl for still wanting to look nice," she says with an embarassed laugh.

"You're a girl," I tease as I walk past her and up the stairs.

I find the bathroom without a problem. Its pretty bland, not as done up as most of the other rooms. To my great relief, the knob in the shower is reasobly similar to mine back home, and I figure it out pretty quick.

Because clearly it would not be good to look like an idiot who can't operate a shower. You know, because it's not like we are sparkly, superpowered, murderers or anything like that.

The water runs murky for a while as the grime is watched from my body, a deep crimson also dripping as the blood caked on my face rinses off. It takes a while to get the gunk out of my hair, to my great annoyance.

I care about my hair, okay? It's one of my few good features in my opinion.

Even taking the extra time for my hair, I still get out a good ten minutes sooner than Siren did.

After toweling off, I rummage through the pile of stolen clothes.

I settle on some baggy jeans and a black button-up shirt. I slip on my dirty, old, no-brand shoes. It is a good thing they are black, as any other color would be covered completely by the layer of grime.

New shoes are next on my shopping list.

I comb through my hair a few times and then sweep it to the side as per my usual fashion.

I grab the rest of the stolen clothes, as well as my dirty outfit, and walk back downstairs.

Siren has two backpacks and is stuffing her things into one. She glances up at me as I come down.

"You clean up nicely," she says as her eyes linger a bit longer than normal before she clears her throat and continues, "um, I got some bags for some of our things."

I wipe the awkward smile from my face after her compliment and begin stuffing my things into the black bag.

Once I am done, I sling the bag up onto my shoulder. I glance around to find Siren holding one of her family portraits.

I quietly make my way to stand beside her as she cups the frame in her hands.

"They never really cared anyway. Never made time to say anything to me. Never asked about my bruises from that bastard.I don't think they ever really took the time to know me, much less care," she spoke with a shaky voice that made me sick with sympathy.

"I, uh, I'm Nathan," I say with a dry mouth, holding out my hand.

Her eyes glance to my open hand then up to my eyes before a friendly smile spreads across her face.

"I'm Jessi," she replies, taking my hand, her wet eyes gleaming.

"Nice to meet you Jessi," I say as I shake her hand as if we had just met for the first time, like two normal strangers in the street.

_It all went by so fast, I still can't change the past._

_I always will remember everything._

_If we could start again, would that have changed the end?_

_We remember everything_


	3. Chapter 3: Ladies & Gentlemen

**I am so sorry for the wait! DX This summer semester (10 weeks) of college, I am taking SIX classes! It may literally kill me D: Anyway, I am going to try to start getting on top of things, but sadly college comes first, so please understand my situation. So, please enjoy this chapter, and I hope to have more done soon. Please review!  
**

* * *

_Ladies and gentlemen good evening_

_You've seen that seeing is believing_

_Your ears and your eyes will be bleeding_

_Please check to see if you're still breathing_

Chapter 3:

Ladies & Gentlemen

We had gathered our things and left the house before anyone got home. Jessi almost left a note, but decided better of it and threw it in the trash.

Now we are wandering around the woods, staying out of sight until the day is over.

"Nathan, where do we go now?" Jessi asks qietly as dry leaves crunch under our feet.

"What makes you think I have any sort of plan?" I reply with an embarassed smile.

Why am I the only one coming up with ideas?

Besides the going to her house to shower thing, but that wasn't a plan really, she was just doing what she wanted.

"I don't know, I just thought since you were like this first then…"

"You mean because I died first?"

I don't intend for it to come out so harshly, but my anxiety slips through.

"I am just as lost as you," I continue, "The only thing I know is that I was turned into something that isnt supposed to exist, a fucking Halloween monster, and then I made the stupid decision to turn you into one as well."

We both stay silent for a while.

"Stupid decision, huh?"

How did I know that she would catch my mistake?

"I don't mean… I just… If you could have died that night, would that not have been better than _this_?"

She doesn't reply.

And this is why I have no friends.

A few minutes have passed by before she finally speaks again.

"How did you die?"

Well, gee, could she be anymore blunt?

"I died from, uh… a balloon…" I reply. It sounds pathetic, I know.

A quick giggle escapes her and she elbows me.

"Seriously, come on, tell me!"

"I'm serious, it was a fucking balloon! An old bully from middle school, Drake, apparently never passed any basic science classes. He thought he could get a kick out of popping the balloon in my face while I was sucking the helium out of it."

"Soooo… You died from being frightened?"

"He popped it with a lighter."

She puts two and two together and realizes what that meant.

"So it exploded…?"

"The initial pop wasn't all that bad, just burnt my face, but the fire followed the gas down my throat and into my lungs," I explain, swallowing hard at the blurry memory, her eyes growing wide as I tell her the story of my demise, "Do you know what it's like to burn from the inside out?"

She shakes her head.

"Who… who changed you?"

"Well, sorry, but having my guts turned to ash kind of made it difficult to focus on anything else," I tell her, rolling my eyes.

Her gaze turns downward.

"I guess I don't have to have you tell me how you died," I break the silence.

She visibly tenses, her eyes glistening.

"No."

There is nothing else to her reply.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to…"

"No, it's fine, I asked about yours. I can't just pretend that it never happened."

I don't press her any further. Sure, I died, and it was agonizingly painful, but they tried to take more than just her life that night…

I glance over at her as she walks beside me through the forest, the sun beginning its descent as we passed noon, our skin giving off a periodic shimmer as the light breaks through the leaves above. She is still stressed out.

I loop my fingers through hers, her icy stone skin pressing against mine. Her eyes flicker over to me and she relaxes slightly, her hand squeezing against mine, accepting the small amount of comfort I offer.

We wander around the forest in circles, our throats burning with thirst, until the sun finally sets and the soft, inviting glow of the moon replaces it in the darkening sky.

Following the sweet scent of blood on the air, we begin making our way back into town.

We creep through the shadows between buildings until we find a suitable meal. A young couple exiting a local night club. The neon lights of the club's title, _The Graveyard, _cast a dull red glow over the two humans.

Both of them are covered in every manner of peircings, tattoos, thick makeup, and a wardrobe of nothing but black.

As soon as they stagger around the corner of the building, obviously heavily intoxicated, Jessi and I overtake them and pull them into our pitch black alleyway.

She drains the man as I suck the woman dry. There is a tiny buzz as the alcohol in their blood comes along with the meal, but it soon fades.

Apparently we are resistant to alcohol now as well.

Probably for the better I suppose. This kind of strength and speed in a drunk guy? There would be so much property damage in this town.

We leave the bodies in the back of the shady alley and wipe the blood from our lips. Walking out of the shadows, something in the window of the club catches my eye.

_Performers Wanted!_

_Local musicians needed for nightly shows_

_Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday_

_7:00pm-12:00am_

_Every week_

_Pay starts at $50 per show_

_Apply inside_

I glance over at Jessi. She read it too. She simply eyes me skeptically.

"Nathan, I don't know about you, but I am not a singer, and I most certainly do not know how to play any instrument."

"Come on, with these voices, and the looks, we will barely have to sing at all! It could be easy money!"

"I don't know, would we even be able to resist eating them before we get paid?"

"Sure, as long as we eat before each show, we will be fine."

She gives me a doubtful look before rolling her eyes and following me into the club.

A layer of smoke hangs above us as we enter, the smell of intoxicated blood flooding the room. The place is relatively dimly lit, save for a small stage with a spotlight and a bar with neon lights lining its edges.

Crappy semi-gothic décor is thrown around the room with very little thought. A tired looking man, probably in his early twenties, clears his throat as the two of them enter.

"Can I help you two?"

He sounds like he hates his life. And maybe other people's lives… He doesn't seem to be the most friendly or enthusiastic person, that's for sure.

"Uh, yeah, we were going to ask about the uh, performing thing posted outside?" I reply to the sociopath.

"Oh, cool, yeah, you wanna go talk to the big man. He is over there by the bar I think."

He points over to the sorry-looking, neon-lit counter. There are a few drunken men sitting around, and one guy standing apart from the crowd, with a smug I-own-this-crappy-club-so-I'm-awesome stance.

We nod to the man in thanks and make our way over to the manager.

He is tall and bulky, with a slight beer gut underneath his black striped button-up shirt, the collar flipped up to make him to look like the biggest douchebag ever. His hair is greased back and his dark denim jeans drag on the floor.

He definitely looked the part of an asshole manager.

"Hey, uh, you the one we talk to about the performing thing?" I ask unprofessionally.

Yeah, I never had much respect for authority; I'm not one for "sirs" or "ma'ams."

"Eh? Yeah, what about it?" he answers in a drunken mumble.

Oh boy, this guy is gonna be fun to get along with.

"We want to apply for it."

"Ah, good, good, good, show me what you got kid."

Jessi and I glance at each other. We hadnt really planned on demonstrating our lack of talent quite yet.

"Uh, right now?" Jessi asks nervously.

"Well, I can't just give you a job if you can't do anything, can I? I don't see any goddamn instruments, so I take it you two sing?"

"Sure, yeah, we, uh, we sing, but…"

"But nothing, you want the job or not?"

The two of us give a simultaneous sigh.

I scramble for something that I know how to sing. I memorize tunes and lyrics pretty well, but I could not think of anything to give a demonstration.

Jessi softly begins "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence. Her voice starts as a whisper and climbs a little as she gains some confidence.

I swallow hard and follow her lead, falling in line with the lyrics of the male background singer. Paul McCoy was it?

We both get used to it and open up a little as we make our way through the song. Soon it comes to the, I don't know, duet? I proceed through my lines without a hitch;

_All this time I can't believe I couldn't see_

_Kept in the dark but you were there in front of me_

Jessi follows with closely;

_I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems_

_Got to open my eyes to everything_

I continue after her;

_Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul_

Jessi;

_Don't let me die here_

Then I belt out the one screamo-esque line in the entire song;

_There must be something more!_

Both of us lose the tune for a moment after my spine-chilling growl. I may not be a great singer, but damn, I just sounded like something coughed up from hell itself!

Jessi's surprised smile stays spread across her face as she releases her last line, cutting the song a little short for the sake of time;

_Bring me to life_

She holds the last note for a bit, dragging it out in a smooth, innocent, ring.

There is a moment of silence following our little performance.

"Damn, not a bad set of pipes on either of you, eh?" The shocked manager observes.

Yeah, well, we are just as surprised as him.

"Um, yeah, so, how about adding us to your payroll?"

-The Following Night-

Jessi puckers her lips and smooths out the deep red lipstick she has just applied, then adjusts her hair for the zillionth time as she looks herself over in the grimy mirror.

"Are you expecting to find a date after the show?" I tease her.

She shoots me a glare and darts her tongue out at me.

"Very funny. Some of us actually care about keeping this job." She bites back, "Our first show has to be perfect if we want to make an impression."

I give a shrug in reluctant agreement while adjusting my jacket. The manager was impressed with our little audition enough that he had given each of us an advance on our first paycheck. With it, we were able to invest in some better clothes before our show tonight.

I had used most of the money on a decent-quality black leather jacket. I didn't know what kind of lighting they would have on the stage, and I wasn't about to take any chances with that sparkly skin crap.

Jessi had agreed with my reasoning, but opted for a cheaper black hoodie so she could use the rest of her money on makeup and other girly shit.

We are vampires for fuck's sake, does she really think we need help looking flawless?

The manager pokes his greasy head into our small backstage area (more of a closet really).

"You two ready? You're starting in two minutes," he tells us, cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth.

"Yeah, yeah, we got it," I reply hastily.

I really don't like this guy for some reason. He is just one of those guys that you look at and instantly think to yourself "he has a stupid face."

Or maybe I'm the only one who gets that feeling?

I'm about to ask Jessi what she thinks of the manager when we are interrupted by knocks on the door and orders to get on the stage.

Jessi and I glance at eachother and head out onto the stage of our first show.

The stage is only a small corner of the room that is raised about a foot higher than the rest of the floor. Two lights hanging from the ceiling are pointed at the stage, but other than that they get the same dim atmosphere as the rest of the room. There is no band, just a pre-made mix CD of instrumental versions of some songs they chose.

The manager sends one of the employees over to the stage to press play on the stereo system. Jessi and I flip the on/off switch on our microphones.

And our first show begins.

_Hold tight cause the show it not over_

_If you will please move in closer_

_Your about to be bowled over_

_By the wonders you're about to behold here_


End file.
